Sagamore Spirit Cask Strength Straight Rye Whiskey

VITALS:
- $60

- 112.2 Proof

- NAS

- Batch No 10AA

- Maryland/Indiana

Sagamore Spirit is one of those brands that I've been seeing on the shelves for years now, that seems to have some interesting products, and which has received, for the most part, really positive reviews online. While it's been on my shortlist of products I've been wanting to try, I just never got around to grabbing a bottle off the shelf. I'm not really sure why, perhaps I just always found something else I wanted--a matter of priority.

Interestingly, though, after purchasing this bottle, I attended a bottle share at a local restaurant, and two Sagamore Spirit reps attended. So all of a sudden I was not only trying this cask strength rye, but I also got to sample their Double Oak Rye, their Muscatel Finished Rye and their Manhattan Finished Rye. This, however, was the only bottle that I purchased (and finished), so this is the only one that gets a review on here.

I got some of those traditional rye mint notes on the nose, as well as a bit of that dill note that I commonly associate with MGP ryes such as this. Of course, there was also a healthy dose of vanilla, but I also got some sweet, crackery notes as well as a decent amount of cinnamon spice. I have no idea as to the age of this rye, but it also had a certain dry, woody note on the nose.

On the first sip I got a healthy dose of cinnamon right up front. That was immediately followed by a number of sweet, dessert-like flavors, including notes of chocolate and vanilla, as well as a light honey sweetness.  I was immediately impressed by that balance of spicy and sweet right away, not to mention the boldness of the flavors. This was a punchy whiskey (which you want from a cask strength whiskey), but the flavors seemed all right on point.

It had a certain grainy or cereal note, but not necessarily a corn note as I so often get. Along with the honey note, I likened it to sort of a Honeycombs cereal flavor. 

The finish on this whiskey was outstanding. It had a nice, viscous texture that really coated the mouth and made for a nice, long finish that carried a nice, light black pepper spice. On top of that, though, was a bright citrus flavor, kind of like orange or nectarine. The mint carried as well to create this spicy yet citrusy and cooling flavor which, when mixed with the vanilla, all combined to make for a delicious mix!  

This was a fantastic bottle, and I still can't get over just how much I loved the finish on this. Compared to the other bottlings from Sagamore I got to try, this would certainly be my favorite (though perhaps those didn't get a fair shake). I did, however, really like the Double Oak as well, and I'm already eyeing the Cognac finish. Clearly I'll be picking up more Sagamore Spirit bottles down the road.

Grade: A-

Baltimore Pure Rye Bottled-In-Bond Maryland Straight Rye Whiskey - circa 1951

Every now and then an opportunity comes to me by virtue of this blog and my outward obsession with whiskey. A friend will let me know when he comes across something rare on a trip to Kentucky, or my local liquor store owner will make it a point to hold a special bottle back for me. Recently, though, it led to an opportunity to try a 65 year old rye whiskey from a distillery that closed up shop only shortly after this particular rye was bottled.

A good friend of mine was visiting his family when he sent me a text informing me that his father had found a bottle of Baltimore Pure Rye Bottled-In-Bond Maryland Straight Rye Whiskey from around 1951. Though it wasn't offered at that time, my buddy, without my prompting, made it a point to hassle his father to get a sample for me to try. A few months later he brought me a small jelly jar with a healthy sample.

Prior to tasting, though, I felt I needed to do my fair share of research, to know what it is I was about to taste. Unfortunately, though, there's not a whole lot of information available regarding the Baltimore Pure Rye Distillery.  The most comprehensive information I was able to find on another whiskey blog, EllenJaye.com. Though no sources are cited in the article, it provides a nice history of the distillery, including information regarding how the distillery marketed its rye, claiming it contains "Real RYE-E-RYE" referring to their 98% rye mashbill, and is made "in the old-fashioned Maryland way."

Unfortunately, the distillery closed in 1957, after which point Seagram's purchased the distillery and operated it for the next 30 or so years. Apparently, though, some bottles remain in the wild, and I was lucky enough to enjoy a pour of one.  So, to the juice itself!

The nose is very pleasant, giving off a wonderful sweet, pipe tobacco smell, including strong vanilla and honey notes. I was actually surprised at the sweet scent of the whiskey given that it's almost 100% rye. Certainly the rye spice was noticeable as well.

Despite its nose, though, the whiskey was not as sweet as I expected. It has all the earmarks of a high rye whiskey, the spiciness and cinnamon flavors you'd expect. It also came across as a very dry whiskey, with the wood tones taking front stage. It reminded me of a much older whiskey (though I don't really know its age).

What I noticed most, however, was a very prominent and distinct charcoal flavor, much like you notice in Jack Daniels. It piqued my curiosity as to how this whiskey was made and whether charcoal was used in the filtering process. Given the location of the distillery it wouldn't surprise me that it was, in fact, charcoal filtered, but I was never able to find an answer.

I took my time with this sample, knowing I wouldn't come across it again. Overall, I really enjoyed drinking this, though perhaps more for the nostalgia than the whiskey itself (which was very good--not great, but very good). I'm not treating this as an official review for the site and am not going to give a 60 year old sample a grade.  I'm not certain't there'd be much point in that. Rather, I just wanted to share an opportunity and an experience that happened to find me, one I'm certain never to experience again. Then again, I guess I never know what other surprises may lurk in the attics and basements of friends and their relatives!